It was a one sided fight. Not that anyone was really surprised by that, Delvin Rodriguez has had a long career and has been in more than his share of ring wars. After having been brutalized by a reinvigorated Miguel Cotto in 2013, few would have imagined him getting another shot at a title belt. Yet there he was, matched up with the slick Cuban fighter Erislandy Lara, for Lara’s WBA Super welterweight belt, in the headlining card on Spike TVs latest edition of Fright Night Lights Out. Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Championship series was ready to showcase Lara’s talents to a national audience, and they believed that Delvin was the tough, gritty type of fighter who would provide just enough of a challenge to allow their charge to shine. They just forgot one thing: Erislandy Lara don’t care.
Erislandy Lara
Photos: Lara easily beats Rodriguez; Beterbiev defeats Johnson
Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike returned to Chicago’s UIC Pavilion on Friday night with another installment of spectacular fights. The opening televised bout saw Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs) manage a seventh round knockout against Alexander Johnson (16-3, 7 KOs). The second televised bout featured Erislandy Lara (21-2-2, 12 KOs) as he secured a unanimous decision victory over Delvin Rodriguez (28-8-4, 16 KOs).
Below are comments made by the televised fighters following their performances tonight:
Erislandy Lara vs Delvin Rodriguez on June 12th
CHICAGO (May 12, 2015) – Cuban boxing sensation Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs)returns to the ring on Friday, June 12 to face veteran Delvin Rodriguez (28-7-4, 16 KOs) as Premier Boxing Champions heads back to Spike.
Additionally, Russian knockout artist Artur Beterbiev (8-0, 8 KOs) is set to square off against the ring-savvy Doudou Ngumbu (34-6, 13 KOs) of Haute-Garonne, France.
This edition of PBC on Spike begins at 9 p.m. ET. Doors at UIC Pavilion open at 5 p.m. CT with the first fight set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
Erislandy Lara Defeats Ishe Smith; Floyd Mayweather Calls Out Pacquiao
Erislandy “The American Dream” Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) retained his WBA Super Welterweight World Championship with a convincing 12-round unanimous decision victory over Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith (26-7, 12 KOs) in the SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL EDITION main event Friday night from The Illusions Theater at The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
After a strong first round for Smith, Lara dominated the remainder of the fight using a combination of movement, speed and accuracy to secure the decision 117-111, 119-109 twice.
Lara schools Ishe Smith in one-sided fight
In an impressive performance, WBA 154 pound champion Erislandy Lara (20-2-2, 12 KOs) put on a boxing clinic in defeating grizzled veteran Ishe Smith (26-7, 12 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision tonight to retain his WBA title at the Illusions Theater at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Smith, 36, tried his best, but Lara picked him apart with left hand pot shots in the center of the ring from rounds 2 through 12. Smith had his moments in rounds 1, 7 and 11, but that was the extent of it. He simply was no match for the faster, cleaner landing Lara while the two were in the center of the ring. Smith did well when he was able to trap Lara against the ropes and land body shots.
Erislandy Lara focused on Ishe Smith fight
WBA World junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) isn’t coming into his fight this Friday night against 36-year-old former IBF junior middleweight champion Ishe Smith (26-6, 12 KOs) with mental baggage from his last fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez from last July.
Lara lost the fight to Canelo by a 12 round split decision in a bout that really could have gone the other way if Lara had done a little more offensively. Lara feels that he did enough to win the fight, and that’s why he’s coming into this Saturday’s title defense against Smith without feeling regretful about the Canelo match-up. Lara is totally focused on doing his job against Smith, and holding onto his WBA title.
Erislandy Lara back in action in November
WBA World junior middleweight champion Erislandy Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) has started training for his next fight in November, according to Fightnews.com. Lara is interested in possibly facing either James Kirkland or former IBF junior middleweight champion Ishe Smith.
Lara was recently beaten by former WBA/WBC 154 pound champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez by a disputed 12 round decision last July in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a fight that many boxing fans felt that Lara won due to his command of the ring, and his superb defensive skills.
Canelo should do the right thing and give Lara a rematch like Mayweather gave Maidana a rematch
It’s been a little over a week since former WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) won a controversial 12 round split decision win over Erislandy Lara (19-2-2, 12 KO’s) in their fight at middleweight at 155, and it’s clear that boxing fans are even more undecided now than they were back then.
Last night’s replay of the Canelo-Lara fight, including the ALL ACCESS epilogue showing, showed that Canelo’s win over Lara was far from convincing. The judges gave the more popular Canelo the victory by the scores of 115-113 and 117-111 for Canelo, and 115-113, but boxing fans are still largely split down the middle about who really won the fight.
The case against the Boxing Purists
Boxing purists are a group of fans that like nothing better than to fawn over the defensive skills and ‘tactical mastery’ of fighters who most normal fans would simply describe as boring. Whilst there is nothing inherently wrong with appreciating the defensive aspects of the sport, boxing purists often look down on aggressive, come forward fighters who try to force the action as being one dimensional and lacking in genuine boxing skills.
Like a bunch of snooty College Professors they usually regard ‘lefty’ Southpaws to be inherently superior to Orthodox fighters, a belief which is as baseless as it is predictable. Purists are also some of the most vocal whiners and complainers when a close decision does not go their way and it is time their charges were rebuked.
Erislandy Lara: “There is no way I lost to Canelo”
Fact, Lara landed 107 total punches to Alvarez’s 97 and had a higher connect percentage (28% Lara – 23% Alvarez). The body shots that Alvarez landed were grazing shots that Lara blocked with his elbows, and most of them came in the round he got cut.
Erislandy sounds off on why he feels he won the fight and deserves an immediate rematch.